Flu and COVID-19 cases are rising in Ukraine, prompting an audit of hospital beds to ensure adequate preparedness for the ongoing epidemic season.

In Ukraine, the rise in cases of ARVI, influenza, and COVID-19 may continue for the next 3-4 weeks. Hospitals will conduct an additional audit of beds.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine, referencing a post by Ukraine's Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko on Facebook.

He emphasized that over the past week, more than 206,000 people have fallen ill, with 60% of them being children. There are 5,400 patients with complications currently in hospitals.

In 16 regions, the epidemic threshold has been exceeded. The most challenging situation is in the Khmelnytskyi region. Significant exceedances are recorded in the Volyn, Zhytomyr, Transcarpathian, Ivano-Frankivsk, Rivne, Ternopil, Cherkasy, and Chernivtsi regions.

"Currently, the situation is under control, but we must be prepared for any scenarios. I have instructed the heads of regional health departments and disease control and prevention centers to check the availability of necessary medications in hospitals, conduct an additional audit of beds for hospitalizations in wards and intensive care units, and continue daily epidemic monitoring," the minister stated.

Symptoms of Influenza and COVID-19

Influenza typically begins with a sudden rise in temperature. Respiratory symptoms such as cough, difficulty breathing, mucus production, and sore throat develop over time. In contrast, COVID-19 starts with respiratory symptoms.

For the prevention of influenza and COVID-19, vaccination is recommended. Flu vaccinations can be administered not only at the beginning but also throughout the entire epidemic season. All regions are supplied with the COVID-19 vaccine.

It is worth noting that in 16 regions of Ukraine, anti-epidemic measures are being implemented due to the high level of influenza and ARVI cases. As a result, educational institutions are forced to temporarily switch to distance learning or implement quarantine measures. In the Transcarpathian region, more than a third of schools have transitioned to a distance learning format. In the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne regions, all educational institutions, except for preschool institutions, are operating online.